EVERETT, JULY 30: The Washington West African Center (WAWAC) was filled with laughter and excitement last week as they prepared for the second annual Sounds of Africa (SOA) Festival happening in August.
“For too long, West Africans in Washington have felt neglected and marginalized, limiting our engagement to our immediate community alone. The Sounds of Africa Festival therefore aims to change the narrative and bridge the gap between our community and the wider population,” according to a WAWAC Facebook event post.
From 1-7 p.m. August 17, at Garfield Park in Everett, there will be various activities showcasing African culture and traditions. There will be an African clothing fashion show, dance competition, and live performances. More than 60 vendors will offer everything from food, arts, clothing and more.
The first SOA Fest was a two-day event at the Everett Community College and based on feedback, WAWAC decided to cut it back to one day. Founder and Executive Director, Pa Ousman Joof said that with time, he hopes SOA Fest will grow into a week-long event.
One of the performances this year will be from children attending the WAWAC after-school program, the BIDEWW Kids’ Program. They have written and composed their own song with the help of the center. Last year the group created a song titled “Hear Us Out”, a song about domestic violence, how the kids wished to be raised, and showing thanks to their parents for their support, Joof said.
Other musical performances include Boka Kouyate and the Djeliyah Band.
During the fashion show, models will present traditional handmade clothing from 19 countries in Africa, with an emcee explaining the history and story behind each outfit. Fashion show coordinator Jenab Soumdhoro said that African fashion isn’t just clothes. It is part of African identity.
Soumdhoro shared stories of different clothes, jewelry, instruments and even bowls. Her passion shone through with each explanation. As the eldest daughter, she is responsible for holding and sharing stories of her tribe’s history.
“African fashion is complex. Everything has a story and there are similarities across all tribes, but they can mean very different things,” Soumdhoro said, “It is important to recognize where you are from and to know where you are going.”
About WAWAC
WAWAC was established in 2017 and their mission is to connect West Africans in Washington state with local resources, promote West African culture, inform and educate West Africans. They host events and services across Clark, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, Joof said.
WAWAC offers a multitude of resources from after-school care, payment assistance, transportation, literacy programs, and more.
“For a long time we have been isolated due to the systemic racism and all the things in place forcing us to do things by ourselves and alone,” Joof said, “it has to take Covid and the death of George Floyd for our voices to start being heard and listened to.”
WAWAC is financially supported by partnerships and grants from Communities of Color Coalition, Snohomish County, Washington Community Alliance and more.
Joof started WAWAC after experiencing his own hardships and challenges coming from Gambia to the United States. WAWAC began in Joof’s living room, with him providing resources to the West African community as best as he could.
“We went through a lot of struggles and when the dust settled and we moved down here, I decided to form this to support my community to make sure my people don’t go through the things that I went through, or even if they are going through that, they have somebody to lean on and provide guidance on how to navigate the system,” Joof said.
WAWAC serves about 20,000 unaccounted and counted West Africans in Washington, Joof said.
If you would like to support WAWAC to provide more services to the West African community in Washington, see here. For West African resources, see here.
You can also email WAWAC at [email protected], or call 253-235-2132.
